2026 Watford Borough Council election
7 May 2026
| |||||||||||||||||||
12 out of 36 seats to Watford Borough Council 19 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
The 2026 Watford Borough Council election will be held on 7 May 2026, alongside the other local elections across the United Kingdom being held on the same day, to elect 12 of 36 members of Watford Borough Council.[1] The election will be held alongside an election for the Mayor of Watford.
Due to ongoing local government reorganisation, this will be the final election to Watford Borough Council before it is abolished and replaced by a successor unitary authority. Elections to the successor authority are due to take place in 2027.
Background
In the 2024 local elections, the Liberal Democrats won 11 of the 12 seats up for election, including three seats gained from the Labour Party, who held their leader's seat of Holywell.[2] With their election win, the Liberal Democrats maintained their 21-year control of the council.[2][3] In the 2024 general election, the Labour Party candidate Matt Turmaine gained the Watford constituency from the Conservative Party incumbent Dean Russell.[4] In January 2026, the council was given the option to cancel the 2026 elections in preparation for local government reorganisation, however, the council decided to proceed with the elections to "allow residents the right to exercise their democratic rights".[5]
Three by-elections were held between the 2024 and 2026 elections:
| Ward | Date | Incumbent | Winner | Cause | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Councillor | Party | Candidate | ||||||
| Holywell | 1 May 2025 | Labour | Matt Turmaine | Labour | Asma Suleman | Elected as the Member of Parliament for Watford | [6][7] | ||
| Oxhey | 1 May 2025 | Liberal Democrats | Chris Newstead | Liberal Democrats | Iain Sharpe | Resigned due to moving out of area | [8][7] | ||
| Tudor | 4 December 2025 | Liberal Democrats | Charlott Saunders | Liberal Democrats | Callum Robertson | Resigned due to personal reasons | [9][10] | ||
Incumbents
| Ward | Incumbent councillor | Party | Re-standing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Callowland | Ian Stotesbury | Liberal Democrats | ||
| Central | Aga Dychton | Liberal Democrats | ||
| Holywell | Asma Suleman[a] | Labour | ||
| Leggatts | Shafiq Ahmed | Liberal Democrats | ||
| Meriden | Jennifer Pattinson | Liberal Democrats | ||
| Nascot | Tom Osborn | Liberal Democrats | ||
| Oxhey | Kennedy Rodrigues | Liberal Democrats | ||
| Park | Peter Kloss | Liberal Democrats | ||
| Stanborough | Lenny Nembhard | Liberal Democrats | ||
| Tudor | Stephen Johnson | Liberal Democrats | ||
| Vicarage | Nasreen Shah | Labour | ||
| Woodside | Glen Saffery | Liberal Democrats | ||
Candidates by ward
Callowland
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Central
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Holywell
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Leggatts
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Meriden
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nascot
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oxhey
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Park
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stanborough
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tudor
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vicarage
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Woodside
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mayoral election
The council election will be held concurrently with the 2026 mayoral election. In the 2022 mayoral election, incumbent mayor Peter Taylor of the Liberal Democrats was re-elected with over 50% of the vote.[11]
Candidates
- Peter Taylor (Liberal Democrat; incumbent)[12]
- Abdul Laskar (Conservative)[13]
Notes
- ^ Elected at the 2025 Holywell by-election.
References
- ^ "Watford mayor says local elections should go ahead in 2026". Watford Observer. 19 December 2025. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ a b "Watford result - Local Elections 2024". BBC News. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ Roberts, Gabriel (3 May 2024). "Watford Borough Council local election results in full". Watford Observer. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ^ "Watford - General election results 2024". BBC News. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ^ "Council - Tuesday, 27 January 2026 printed draft minutes" (PDF). Watford Borough Council. 27 January 2026. p. 18. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ^ McGuinness, Fintan (10 March 2025). "Watford MP Matt Turmaine resigns borough council seat". Watford Observer. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ^ a b "Borough Council by-elections". Watford Borough Council. 2 May 2025. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ^ McGuinness, Fintan (10 March 2025). "Liberal Democrat Watford councillor resigns from council". Watford Observer. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ^ McGuinness, Fintan (24 October 2025). "Watford ward councillor steps down triggering by-election". Watford Observer. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ^ "2025 Tudor By-election results". Watford Borough Council. 5 December 2025. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ^ "Watford Mayor Election 2022 Candidates and Results". BBC News. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ^ "Peter Taylor Unanimously Re-selected as Liberal Democrat Candidate for Watford Mayor". Watford Liberal Democrats. 17 September 2025. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ "Watford Conservatives Announce Abdul Laskar as 2026 Mayoral Candidate!". Watford Conservatives. 25 February 2026. Retrieved 27 February 2026.